Provincial police became upset after attorney Gao Zhisheng, renowned Beijing-based human rights lawyer, stayed overnight in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province. At 1:00 p.m., under the orders of Beijing authorities, Shaanxi secret police started singing songs outside Gao's hotel room so that he would not have a peaceful rest. At 7:57 p.m., a secret policeman burst into Gao's room and asked him, “When are you going to leave? Hurry up! Leave!”

As Gao was leaving the hotel to catch a train to Chengdu City, he saw a group of people standing around the hotel looking at him. “One of them came forward to shake my hand. He was a lawyer I knew, but I didn't know the others. I could feel that they were Xi'an City residents who wanted to meet me,” Gao said. “I learned that at least 10 other people were blocked from greeting me outside the hotel.”

Police Anger Retired High-Ranking Official

Lin Mu, retired secretary to former Chinese President Hu Yaobang, who favored democratic reforms, was surrounded by police and forced to leave the hotel without meeting Gao. Lin, who is 70 years old, became angry and asked the police, “Since you monitor him so tightly, why don't you lock him up? We are all Chinese citizens, and you even refuse a simple meeting. Who gave you this right? Where is this stated in China's Constitution and laws related to human rights and freedom?”

When Lin heard that the police had sung outside the hotel to disturb Gao's rest, Lin told Gao, “This is shameful! They are not humans. What they have done to us has made me realize how evil the communist regime is. Originally, we were going to suggest that you stop the Relay Hunger Strike, but now, we agree with your protest. You must persist. I will also join in the hunger strike.”

Police Detain Attorneys Wishing to Greet Gao

At 6:00 a.m. on April 13, as attorneys Zhang Jiankang and Deng Yongliang were on their way to the train station to welcome Gao, they were suddenly blocked by a car. Several officers from the National Security Bureau in Xi'an City took the two of them to a hotel and confiscated their personal belongings, such as mobile phones and address books. When they asked to be shown an arrest warrant, the officers answered, “You can sue us wherever you want.”

Two hours later, they were separated by the police, who took Deng Yongliang to a coffee shop and told him, “We detained you because Gao came to Xi'an, and you are close to being arrested.”

On the morning of April 14, the police released attorneys Zhang and Deng. When Zhang heard that Lin Mu had gone to meet Gao, he made another attempt to visit Gao, but police seized him again.

After Gao left Xi'an, Zhang was released and asked the Epoch Times journalist to convey his gratitude to all his friends.

Who Will Live Longer?

Dang Zhiguo, of Shaanxi, is a deep thinker and a scholar who has refused to betray his dignity. When he learned that Gao was coming to Xi'an, he rushed there to meet him. Gao said that he had always respected Dang and that he made it a point to read his articles. Gao was very glad to have the opportunity to meet him.

Dang told Gao, “The communist regime has persecuted me for so many years. Presently, except for my health, nothing is going well for me.”

“That is enough, Mr. Dang. You must take care of yourself. Let us compete with the communist regime to see who lives longer,” Gao replied.

“My father is already over 90 years old, yet he has absolute confidence that he will outlive the communist regime!” Dang said.

When Dang saw the Xi'an police treating Gao as if he were a great enemy, he sighed with deep emotion and said: “When an autocratic rule has come to this stage, it means that it is coming to an era like Havel's and Walesa's. [Václav Havel, a proponent of nonviolent resistance, was the first President of the Czech Republic. Lech Walesa, Polish human rights activist and trade unionist, co-founded Solidarity and served as President of Poland.]

“Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, you can choose to become like Havel and Walesa and end up becoming shining stars. I think Gao Zhisheng would be pleased to see that.

“Or, if you don't have the moral integrity to become Havel and Walesa and use all means to stop Gao Zhisheng from becoming … [like them], then the effect will turn out to be the opposite. You are rapidly forcing him [Gao] to take on such a role. Isn't this inconceivable? An ordinary citizen comes to Xi'an, and you treat him in such an abusive manner. What does this mean?”

Gao was surprised and pleased that Dang had brought him some of his latest articles. “This is an additional gift, a great reward from my trip to Xi'an,” Gao said.

If the Media Were Opened Up

Gao related a story a friend from Xi'an had told him. An officer from the propaganda department was sent to monitor people. The friend told the propaganda officer that the communist regime had a network of spies and policemen all over the country that created fear among the people and used violence.

The gentleman from Xi'an told the officer that he and his ilk, who were charged with monitoring and controlling people's thoughts, were just another group of hatchet men acting for the communist regime. They use terror, ignorance, and lies to control people's thoughts. He told the officer that the Communist Party, which seems to have control over vast resources and several million troops, is afraid of opening up the media because if it does, within six months, the regime would surely collapse.

The officer replied, “Three months is enough. All of us insiders are clearly aware that if the media is opened up, the regime will not even survive three months.”

Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao Have Two Choices

According to Gao, real estate agents will play an important role in bringing about the downfall of the communist regime.

“If the communist regime collapses, China's real estate agents will have played a crucial role. Besides the persecution of Falun Gong in recent years, the real estate agents in China have bred more enemies of the regime at all levels of society. Friends from Xi'an … said that during the process of forced evictions, the brutal treatment of civilians has reached the point of complete insolence. It is said that all over China, half of the angry civilians amassed in front of government offices were 'sent' there by local real estate agents.”

Regarding Falun Gong, Gao said: “It is comforting to learn about people's knowledge of Falun Gong. A phenomenon in Xi'an that consoles me is that everyone I come into contact with today has a clear understanding of the communist regime's persecution of Falun Gong.”

Gao also stated that it is complete ignorance to think that the communist regime can change and go down in history with eternal glory.

“If Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao had any sense, they would know that the communist regime is a machine that cannot be re-structured. I have said in my articles that Jiang Zemin had already completely ruined the foundation and conditions for re-structuring the communist regime.

“So what can Hu and Wen do? They have only two choices. One is to abandon the most immoral and brutal machine in the history of mankind. The other is to linger on, using lies and violence to sustain this machine.

“However, with the exposure of the Sujiatun incident, if Hu and Wen have their own strategy and think that the time is ripe to make the first choice, that is abandoning the communist regime, then they can still be forgiven by history. They are at a crucial and unique position where they have the opportunity to be a Boris Yeltsin or a Vaclav Havel. However, they could also choose to send themselves to the witness stand.”